What's SHARP about SharpReading?

SIMPLICITY - Please! I want something that is simple!


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A SharpReading programme is underwhelmingly easy to implement, lite on paper work but gets impressive results.

* start with a piece of text

* they unpack it

* you respond to what they come up with

A one page planning and assessment template is all you need.

HABITS - What do habits have to do with becoming a better reader?
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Learning to read is all about habitualising the use of mental strategies.
SharpReading ...
  • identifies the essential reading strategies a reader needs
  • teaches them systematically
  • provides lots of guided practice.
Like learning to ride a bike, you need a chance to 'get your balance'.


AUTONOMY - SharpReaders transfer the skills into their personal reading
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The outcome of our instruction must be the independent and automatic use of these strategies or we are wasting our time.
SharpReaders...
  • know what the strategies are
  • have a plan of attack
  • are motivated to process text (not just read it)


ROUTINES - How do I teach and habitualise reading strategies?
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Your routines (the way you interact with your learners) must be highly predictable so that the student is in control of the process.
SharpReaders...
  • know what to expect from every lesson
  • use the routines to explore strategies and get the
practice they need
  • transfer these routines into their own personal reading


PROGRESSIONS - How do I know what to teach?
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Click here to view our learning progression
Click here to view our learning progression
Having a simple developmental progression clarifies the learning pathway for the student and the teacher and avoids the 'a bit of this and a bit of that' approach.
A SharpReader ...
  • knows exactly what they are working on and why
  • understands what mastery looks like and if they have
achieved it yet.
From classroom to classroom there is a common understanding of what reading instruction looks like.